


March 16: Everything You Do Is Right Day

by ScarletTyler



Series: You & I [2]
Category: Actor RPF, The Hobbit RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Dry Humping, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Transgender, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-03-16
Packaged: 2018-05-25 02:18:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6176413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletTyler/pseuds/ScarletTyler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The continuation of Richard and Callee's story, set on the the only day of the year when 'perfect' is the norm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Richard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's the rest of the story. I would like to reiterate that LP here is transgender, and I've used female pronouns again.

**Brain On Fire** @BrainOnFire

 **It's #EverythingYouDoIsRightDay! What could possibly go wrong?**  
12:00 AM · 16 Mar 14

 

 

 **Brain On Fire** @BrainOnFire

 **Stay tuned for some crazy, fun ideas you can do for #EverythingYouDoIsRightDay**  
12:14 AM · 16 Mar 14

 

 

 **Brain On Fire** @BrainOnFire

 **Hawaiian pizza is old news. Why not try this Hawaiian #BigBreakfast called Loco Moco? Rice, fried spam, gravy and topped with fried egg. **  
12:20 AM · 16 Mar 14

 

 

 **Brain On Fire** @BrainOnFire

 **Kreung tribe parents build a love hut for their teenage girl, who then invites boys to spend the night with her until she finds #TheOne**  
12:31 AM · 16 Mar 14

 

 

 **Brain On Fire** @BrainOnFire

 **Corre, Corre la Guaraca or Run, Run, la Guaraca is a fun kids game from Chile. All you need is a hankie and friends who run slower than you.**  
12:43 AM · 16 Mar 14

 

 

With Callee's sister visiting, Richard expects to find the flat topsy-turvy when he gets back from tutoring. After all, Sally's kids rarely get to see their aunt, who they adore just as much as she does, making them go gaga over whatever activity Callee has planned for them.

As predicted, there are crayons lodged in almost every nook and cranny, candy wrappers scattered on the floor, and empty plastic cups stacked high beside their sink. It is the post-hurricane scene that he has learned to expect from such visits, except this time, there is this makeshift tent in the middle of their living room. Well, it isn't a tent so much as just their bed sheets held together by clothespins and draped over the couch and dining chairs.

At a glance, it would seem like there is no one else around. The room is silent save for the occasional humming of their fridge. Her visitors must have left earlier than usual, and it makes him wonder if she had gone out with them as well.

"Callee?"

"In here," his roommate's disembodied voice answers from inside the tent. She then flaps open the front sheet, popping her head out with an eye-crinkling smile.

Richard smirks back at her. "That looks fun."

"Come in!" Callee beckons him with a frantic wave of her hand before disappearing back inside.

Without further ado, Richard approaches and gets down on all fours. He crawls his way in, observing how cramped the space is with both of them in it. Their camping beds are set side by side on the floor along with every pillow available on the flat. Holding up the middle of the top sheet is a string of old Christmas lights that illuminates the interior as well.

"Very nice," Richard comments, gazing around appreciatively. "Cozy, too."

"Got the idea from that tweet about the love hut. They haven't made a blanket fort yet, so I volunteered our sheets," Callee explains as she lies down on her side of the tent.

Richard crawls further inside and settles down beside her. She hands him a bag of Hershey's Kisses, already half-gone and obviously plundered by her tiny guests.

"This place has everything. Great location. Easy access to the bookcase, plenty of snacks to go around, and music—can't forget about that one," she says, waving her hand around as if she is giving him the grand tour. Her hand then gropes around her side of the tent as he unwraps a piece of chocolate. Locating her mobile, she goes through her music selection and soon, The Durins starts playing softly in the background.

They turn to their sides, facing each other simultaneously, as if pulled by an invisible string. He melts the chocolate in his mouth as he stares back at her, finally noticing the light bouncing off the craft glitter on her cheek. She begins to talk about her day with her family, unaware of his internal debate over whether or not to brush those tiny flecks of purple off her face.

Richard decides to go with his gut feel this time, which has been telling him that this touch could easily fall into the friendly category. Listening to her account of her nephew's brilliant adventures in kindergarten, he strokes his thumb across her cheek, rubbing gently and lingering eventually on her jaw. She seems to notice when she pauses mid-sentence, which he takes as a sign to withdraw his hand immediately. However, before he could actually do so, she cups a hand over his own, keeping him in place as a contemplative look crosses her features.

Given the permission to touch her this way, Richard decides to stop second-guessing himself at every turn and just play it by ear for now. He grazes his thumb along her jawline, eliciting a heavy sigh from her.

"Sally asked about the surgery again. Y'know, the big one."

"What about it?"

"Apparently, our parents want to finance it when the time comes," she says as if this is some upsetting news rather than further proof that the Paces are the most amazing family in existence.

"That's great then," he comments in a measured tone, unsure of where she is going with this.

Callee lets go of his hand to take the bag of chocolates from him. She unwraps one as he pulls away and lies down flat on his back.

"At the risk of sounding like an ingrate, I'm not really comfortable with that," she explains, biting the chocolate down the middle. This little quirk of hers drives him crazy and has even sparked some petty squabbles between them about the proper way of eating bite-sized food. Her cheekiness shows through again, when upon noticing his disapproval, Callee wiggles the remaining half of the chocolate to his face, urging him to take the piece from her. The challenging smirk on her face transforms into a triumphant grin when Richard opens his mouth and gives in to her. 

"This isn't over," he declares, throwing a mock-glare at her. 

Callee just giggles at his poor attempt to assert himself, unwrapping another piece with her long, nimble fingers. She quiets down eventually and resumes her pensive mood. "I can't keep asking for handouts from my parents."

"You're not asking," he counters. "They're giving it freely 'cause they care about your happiness." 

"I do know that. It's just that…it's different this time. I'm old enough to earn my own money, and …it just feels wrong, y'know." She rolls on her stomach, closer to him, and props up her chin on her palm.

Richard studies her profile as he searches for something to say back. This surgery is important for her, and he has done enough research on it to know that it costs a small fortune, among other things. There are also plenty of horror and regret stories out there, enough to dissuade even the most determined, but not Callee. She has confided to him, one sleepless night a few months back, that she has always envisioned herself as a woman, not just in gender and attitude, but in every single way. The GCS is key to attaining that vision, and Richard has always been on the lookout for any opportunity to help her.

"Not that I don't see your point—because I do—but it wouldn't hurt if you could get a head-start now."

"You mean…"

"Our savings," he continues, turning on his side to face her again.

Callee shoots him an incredulous look. "I can't do that! Spring Break's just around the corner."

"We could go somewhere local instead," he suggests, "Camping at—"

"No," she cuts him off with a pout. "Besides, half of that money belongs to you."

"You can pay me back," he counters, although he thinks that if she had only asked, he would've willingly given his share, no questions asked.

"That's sweet and all, but…New Zealand," she whines, dropping her head to rest on top of her crossed arms. She then turns her head and meets his gaze with an unguarded look. "I'm in no hurry, anyway. If it's meant to be, it'll be."

Richard rubs her back in slow, broad circles, offering her his support with this simple gesture. Callee rewards him with a small, grateful grin, eyes growing soft as they share a silent moment of understanding.

"I like the idea of the Love Hut," she says after some time, rolling back on her side of the tent. 

Richard smirks as he thinks about the intricacies of that tribe's practice, which could even be considered as some sort of progressive thinking. "Aidan and Dean will be coming over later. We can carry on the tradition. Have as many boys as you want, and pick the one you want to marry."

Callee giggles as if tickled by this idea. "Barry's coming, too."

"Yeah?" Richard's grin drops. Great.

She seems to notice the change in his mood when she averts her gaze from him. "He's making it up to me for last night." Fiddling with her bracelet, she continues, "It'd be nice for you to hang out with him, too. Give him a chance, and you'll see that he's a pretty decent guy. Wouldn't date him if he isn’t."

Richard nods silently, and the hut suddenly feels small, too crowded with Barry's phantom presence between them. "I'm starving. Let's get some pizza," he declares out of the blue, sitting up too quickly that his head spins for a moment.

They crawl out of the fort, and he takes out his mobile, ready to call the restaurant.

"No pineapples," Callee warns him. This is another one of their old disagreements, and now that he thinks about it, most of their bickering are food-centric. 

"Why not?" he asks, just for the sake of it. "Hawaiian's a classic, and Africans do it with a banana, even. Think about that, banana slices on your pizza."

Callee scowls at his argument, proving that nothing would make her eat a Hawaiian pizza again. She has tried it once, and it was enough. "They also eat insects in Africa," she replies while pulling out mismatched dishes out of the cupboard.

"What's wrong with insects? Full of proteins, and when you think about it, it's no worse than shrimps." He hops up the counter, sock-clad feet dangling in front of the cutlery drawer, blocking Callee's access.

"You'd eat insects?" she asks, standing in front of him, hands on her hips.

"Already have. When properly cooked, it doesn't really taste anything. You know what? I'll sneak in some next time, and you won't be able to tell the difference between a grasshopper and chopped celery."

"You wouldn't dare." She says this with a glare while swatting away his thigh.

"Wouldn't I?" he asks, waggling his eyebrows in provocation.

"If you think that'll get you out of cooking dinner, you're wrong."

Richard shrugs. "Well, it's worth a shot." He then hops off the counter and bumps her shoulder playfully, making her crack a smile.

Holding the phone between his cheek and shoulder, Richard orders the pizza while getting beers from the fridge. He closes the door with his foot and hands one to Callee. With the chairs holding up the blanket fort, they would have to eat standing up or sitting on the floor, which wouldn't be a first. They have already spent two months before without a table when Aidan and Dean broke it during one drunken bout of horseplay in their kitchen.

When the pizza arrives, Callee gets the door as Richard sits down on the floor cross-legged, right where their living room used to be. Sipping beer in between bites and stories, Richard feels them slip inside a bubble, unworried about the rest of the world. He tells her about his misadventures with his new student. She gushes about her nephew's recent admission into the swim team. They laugh over their neighbor's latest attempt to sneak in a pet to their building.

Callee is struggling with a string of cheese when her mobile buzzes, bursting their bubble with such an innocuous ping. She grunts in annoyance after reading the text, rolling her eyes upward as she swallows the last bit of her slice.

"Barry's car broke down on his way here. He's invited me to meet up instead." She eyes him speculatively. "Wanna come?"

Richard lifts an eyebrow, wordlessly asking if she's kidding him or not. Of course, he doesn't want to expend so much effort just to be their third wheel. No, thank you. He doesn't say this aloud though, knowing how bad this could backfire on him. So, instead he makes some vague excuse about waiting for Aidan and Dean.

She takes the hint and with a shrug, gets up from their cozy spot. Richard eats away in silence, hoping that she would change her mind and plop down beside him again. However, things don't work that way, and before he knows it, Callee is by the door already.

Hand on the doorknob, she glances at him briefly.  "See you later."

Heart drumming inside his chest, Richard scrambles up from his seat and approaches her,  trying to find the courage to say those words out loud. _'Please, don't go. Stay with me. Just this time, let me be your first choice.'_

Callee raises an eyebrow over his odd behavior, and it dampens his growing resolve. The words get lodged in his throat, so he forces out a grin instead and opens the door for her. "Don't. . . bother with dinner. Dean's bringing food."

"Right." Callee stares at him for a moment, mouth gaping slightly as if she's going to say more, but she doesn't. With a tight-lipped smile, she heads outside their flat without looking back, effectively crushing Richard's heart with every step she takes.

Richard locks the door before hitting his head a fair number of times against the wood. Feeling incredibly downhearted, he finds his way back to the blanket fort. An eerie silence falls as he stares blankly at the string lights hanging above. He doesn't know how he managed it, given his mind's current state of calamity, but a few moments later, Richard feels his eyelids growing heavy. He eventually dozes off, clinging to a pillow that still has some faint traces of her perfume.

Blinking back to consciousness some time later, Richard realizes that he is no longer alone. Beside him is Callee, sitting with her legs up in front of her. He rubs his eyes and wonders if he is still dreaming or if this is just some hallucination. It isn't, and he notices that she is heaving spoonfuls of what seems to be chocolate ice cream to her mouth.

"What time is it?" he asks, fumbling around for his mobile to check as well.

She doesn't have to answer him because he has found his mobile, and apparently, barely two hours have passed since she left. "You're home early."

"Mmhm."

"Everything all right?" He pushes himself up by his elbows to get a better look at her.

"Yeah, why won't it be?" she replies, although her tone says otherwise.

Richard sits up as he racks his mind for an answer. "Oh. I saw this in a movie once. Something's definitely wrong…Is it that time of the month?" he inquires carefully.

The look that Callee gives him is a mixture of disbelief and annoyance with just a tinge of surprise. "I'm not PMSing! I don't even have a uterus. Or any of the right parts." She glares at him again as she eats another spoonful of ice cream. "Ouch, brain freeze!"

Grimacing, she rubs her forehead, and Richard is immediately at her side.

"Press your tongue on the roof of your mouth."

"What?"

"Just do it."

She raises an eyebrow at him, but does it anyway. Soon, the frown on her face dissipates, and she mumbles a quick thanks to him. Normally, he would go on to a long, winded explanation about this simple remedy, but now is not the right time for that. He looks at her expectantly, hoping to get an answer from her instead.

Callee sighs. "It's because of Barry. . . You see, he left his phone on the table when he went to the restroom—and I'm not really a snoop—but it rang and it seemed like the right thing to do."

"You answered?"

"Yeah. . . and it's another girl, who was just as surprised as I was. She didn't shout or anything when I told her who I am, but she made this little comment that. . ." She sniffs and drops the spoon in the container.

Richard puts his arm around her shoulders, but she turns to face him and wraps her own arms around his torso. The position is a bit awkward with their legs and ice cream in between them, but she just buries herself further into the bend of his neck.

"She said that it finally made sense why Barry is breaking up with me," Callee says softly as Richard rubs her back gently. "Didn't have to hear it to know what she meant by that."

Richard tightens his hold of her, wishing that he could always be there to shield her from other people's judgment. 

"We're really done this time," she confirms, still resting her forehead against his shoulder. "He used to make me feel like I'm worth everything—worth his friends, his reputation. . . and then nothing, just like that. I guess this is why he's been strangely eager to meet up since last week."

After a moment, she pulls back from their hug, but Richard keeps an arm around her shoulders, thumb stroking under her short sleeve. She will be fine, he assures himself. She isn't even crying about that knobhead. But the thing is, Callee has always been an independent woman, and he rarely gets to take care of her. This is his chance to give back because she takes care of him every day, even if she doesn't notice it.

"Change of plans. We're going out tonight."

"What about Aidan and Dean?"

Richard shrugs for he hasn’t thought it through. He just doesn't like the idea of Callee wallowing in misery and self-pity over such a careless comment from a stranger. A stranger who understands nothing about this wonderful woman beside him.

"We could invite them, if you want. Evie, too."

The corner of her mouth curls up slightly. It's a start, and he immediately latches on to it.

"Whatever you wanna do, wherever you wanna go," Richard adds to further sweeten his offer.

"Dancing," she says after a moment. "And booze. Lots of it."

"I'm pretty sure no one would object to that."

A proper smile finally blooms on her face as her eyes twinkle again in anticipation.

Unable to help himself, Richard kisses her on the tip of her nose again, making her break out in soft giggles that send shivers down his spine. He then takes the tub of ice cream from her and leaves the blanket fort, almost destroying it in his enthusiasm.


	2. Callee

Callee thinks that it's funny how breaking up with Barry makes her see him in a whole new perspective. It's like she's looking at him through the eyes of her best friend. Barry is nothing special, just another boy with simple dreams and ordinary expectations. She is sad, of course, because who wouldn't be when something ends? However, it's more like an old kind of sadness, residual, as if she had already gone through the grieving process even though she had kept dating him on and off for months. She isn't even upset about the break up, not as much as she ought to be. If anything, she is more upset about the girl's comment, and even more so when Barry called her out on her own behavior. She had denied it, of course, but her ex's accusation isn't exactly unfounded either.

Richard is not her boyfriend. On the other hand, he isn't just a friend either. He gets irrationally jealous now and then, but he has also never defined their relationship. She has given him plenty of chances to do so, but they are still stuck in limbo, floating together, touching but not connecting.

Callee hates those quotes that say, 'You don't need a man to be happy.' Of course, she knows that even without being told. It's just that she wants someone to love her. To listen to her and not judge. To care for her unconditionally. It's not a matter of having someone to complete her. It's just a matter of being loved, of being wanted, and there is this niggling voice inside her that is pointing her to Richard's direction.

Case in point, Richard has kept his promise to her. Everything they had done tonight is for her benefit. It's like he has rallied their friends under one cause: distract Callee and make her laugh.

Earlier this evening, they went to The Prancing Pony, but she didn't get to drink and dance away her troubles. Well, she didn't have to.

After Evie's fiery tirade about Barry and 'that bitch'—a moniker that stuck to her head—Aidan spotted a new addition to their favorite bar. By the far left corner stood a photo booth, so new that it's still cordoned off from the patrons.

Being former part-timers here, she and Evie tried to charm the manager into letting them use it, going as far as offering the resultant photos as some sort of marketing material. The manager gave in, and their little group immediately piled inside the cramped space.

Dean joked about being the ultimate third wheel as he positioned himself right smack in the middle, separating the two couples into either side of the bench. Richard didn't seem to mind being labeled as a couple with her, so she decided to just go with it, too.

They started out with the typical poses, but soon enough the guys' dorkiness prevailed as they suggested weird reenactments of their favorite scenes from movies and comics—most of which she hadn't even heard before tonight. It was fun nonetheless, but they were eventually kicked out when they got a bit too rowdy.

The others had left the photo booth already, but Callee tugged on Richard's shirt to stay back for a moment. He understood immediately what she meant to do as she hit the button for the camera. She had thought about what she wanted to do with him, so before the last shot was taken, Callee leaned in and kissed Richard on the cheek. In gratitude, that's all it was supposed to mean, but she lingered and suddenly the kiss became so much more than that.

Before the last flash go off, he turned to her with wide eyes, so intense and blue. There had been a silent question on his slightly parted lips, but Callee thought that this wasn't the right place to talk. Later, she promised with a small smile, taking his hand to lead him out of the booth. After picking up their photos, they joined their friends again, who had already ordered every item off the list of appetizers, joking and bickering like they always do. It was already two hours past midnight when they said their goodbyes, parting ways with another round of laughter and promises to do this again soon.

Outside, a thin layer of frost covers every tree branch and car, making it all seem strangely beautiful and still. The sidewalk is sleek with melting ice and littered with trails of footprints up and down the block. The night sky is endlessly dark, devoid of the moon but so full of stars. Richard told her once that there are more stars in the universe than words that have ever been spoken in all of history, and on a night like this, she believes him.

A cold breeze sweeps and Richard rubs his hands together, blowing to warm them up. Seeing this, Callee takes off one of her knitted gloves and offers it to him. They have done this before, so without any hesitation or whatsoever, he puts it on his left hand before sliding his other hand along her palm, threading his cold fingers with hers. She contemplates about their entwined hands for a moment because it's so natural for them to do this that she had never questioned it before.

"Y'know, Barry called me a hypocrite earlier," Callee says out of the blue.

"Why?" He turns to her, scowling as if angry in her behalf.

"Because I accused him of seeing other girls when I spend all my time with another guy."

"What other guy?"

"Really?" With an incredulous look, she nudges him with her elbow.

"Oh, I'm the other guy?"

"Who else—"

"But, you and I, it's…"

Callee's heart sinks, realizing the possibility that he will deny it. She tries to hold his gaze, but when he swallows, she averts her eyes from him.

"What, Richard?"

They have stopped walking, but with each passing second, Callee feels like she wants to run away and leave this mess behind.

Finally, with a heavy sigh, Richard cups her cheek with his free hand, urging her to face him and meet his gaze. "I say I don't care, and I run around acting like whatever we are isn't a big deal for me. But, the thing is, you're my only thought when my eyes open in the morning and close at night." He squeezes her hand, willing her to understand. "You and I, it's. . . just us."

Somehow, Callee knows exactly what he means with 'us'. Nothing more, nothing less.

"It's us," Richard repeats, looking intently at her.

She nods and this mutual acknowledgment, however ambiguous, that they are more than friends sends her heart aflutter. They stare at each other for a few more seconds as matching hopeful smiles blossom on their lips.

They resume their trek back home, silently agreeing to take the long way—despite the cold—to make the feeling last. It has never been like this with Barry. They didn't start out as friends, so this...thing with Richard is entirely new to her. It's like a switch has been flicked somewhere in between the laughter and shared understanding of each other. It may have taken a long time in the making, but they are here now. Sneaking a look at him from the corner of her eye, Callee smiles at the thought that Richard, who has always been just a friend, is now the only man she can imagine herself to be with.

As they reach their building, Richard takes the keys out of his pocket with slightly shaking fingers. She would have giggled at his nervousness, if she herself isn't feeling the same way. Taking a steadying breath, Callee tries to gather up her wits and break the silence.

"Maybe we—I don't know—we could maybe sleep in the blanket fort tonight," she suggests, fiddling with the zipper of her bag. She holds her breath as Richard narrows his eyes, focusing intently on slotting the key to their door.

"Yeah, okay. Th-that would be fun." He nods too many times as he finally opens the door, making Callee wonder if she is going too fast.

After shedding her coat, she goes straight to her room with butterflies in her belly, and for the first time since living together with Richard, she actually worries about which pajama to wear. Going over each of her choices, she eventually selects the purple nightie with the lace hemlines—flirty without trying too hard. She then makes quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up before heading back to their living room.

When she enters the room, Richard shoots up from sitting down the floor, grinning at her nervously as he rakes a hand through his hair.

"You okay?" Callee inquires with wide eyes, fingers toying with the dark lace of her nightie.

"Yeah. I'll just—teeth." He points at the bathroom and disappears, leaving her dumbfounded and more skittish than ever.

He comes back in a flash, having changed into his only white T-shirt and stripy boxer shorts, carrying quilts from their bedrooms. Without another word, they crawl inside the fort and settle side by side in the narrow space. However, there is a gap between them—bigger than usual—and she hopes that admitting that they are more than friends isn't going to make things awkward from now on.

Even in the dark, Callee can tell his eyes are open and looking at her. Enveloped in silence, she becomes more aware of that space between them, taunting her to do something, anything about it.

"Penny for your thoughts," she whispers, inching closer to him.

Richard meets her halfway before answering. "I was just thinking that we should keep the hut."

"Ok, maybe. . . But, Richard. . ."

"Hmm?"

She hesitates, uncertain about how to phrase her thoughts. Watching his reaction, she tentatively places a hand on his chest, right over his heart that is beating even harder than her own. "I don't want any other boy in my hut."

His face slowly breaks into a wide grin as he tugs her closer, wrapping his arms around her until she is cocooned by a Richard-shaped blanket of thundering heartbeats. "I was hoping you'd say that," he says softly, so close that his lips brushes her ear.

Callee moans from the lovely sensation, pulling herself closer to him, if that is even possible at this point. Richard seems to like her reaction, so he explores the area below her ear, pressing his lips once, twice until she has lost count for he has chanced upon the sensitive spot that makes her head go haywire.

"I want you," he says in between kisses. "I want us." He pulls back and locks his gaze with hers. "I want it all with you. Only you."

Callee wants him, too. And she also wants all of it. The pointless bickering, the long walks. She wants cute pictures with him. Hold hands whenever they want, make food together, call him all the sickeningly sweet pet names that she could think of. The joking, the fights, the long talks after they make up. She wants to be one of those inseparable best friend couples that people ask how they are still together after so many years. That's what she wants with Richard.

"You sure about that?" she blurts out instead of just agreeing with him. It's just that it seems so impossible how someone like Richard would want to do anything with someone like her. The stigma of dating transgender people goes both ways, and based on experience, it's all fun and games at the start, but when push comes to shove, some men can't handle being with her.

"You know, for the longest time, there's so much I couldn't say when I look in your eyes," Richard begins, fingers trailing down her arm. "I'm worried that you'd reject me again and then I'd lose whatever I had with you. Each day, my feelings for you grow stronger, but I could never let you know. Because, you see, every time I've thought that we're getting closer to what I want, you'd show me how wrong I was, and then I'd be reminded that we're just friends. I love you like no other, but—"

Callee's breath hitches, eyes frantically searching for any sign that he has just misspoken or that she has perhaps misheard him. "You love me?" 

"Don't know when it started, but yes. I love you. I'm so in love with you," Richard admits, sending Callee's heart into overdrive. "I can't think of one thing about you that I'm not in love with."

Callee breathes a laugh, mind racing over this development. "You've seen me bare-faced after pulling an all-nighter. Couldn't have been a pretty sight," she says in a rush of words before rambling further on, "And I've bitched about a lot of things to you. You even hold my hair up whenever I throw up from too much drinking. I've got a million other flaws, so—"

"You don't have to give me a rundown," Richard says with a smirk. "All these 'flaws', as you call them, they've all played a part in how I realized that you're the only one for me."

Heating up all over, Callee doesn't waste another breath on her useless words, and instead, she pulls him forward for a kiss. Sucking on his bottom lip, she tries to commit everything to memory the details of their first kiss. Sweet as sugar. Warm as pie. When she parts her lips to let him in, a needy coiling sensation begins growing inside her.

His tongue explores her mouth thoroughly, tasting and stroking everywhere. It's like he is trying to make it so wonderful that she would never be able to kiss without having to compare it to this moment. And he is succeeding, as Callee moans and loses herself to him.

Their hands are never still, roaming and touching all over each other. There is an insistent hardness between their hips that seems to begging for attention, so she reaches down and cups him over his boxers.

Richard gasps when she begins to grind her palm, alternating between slow circles and gentle squeezes. They share the air between them in short puffs of breath as Callee increases the rhythm and pressure. He whines when she pauses for a second and reaches inside his boxers, discovering the sticky and wet evidence of his arousal. She strokes its length, but with a groan, Richard takes out her hand and uses it to pull her over him until she is perching above his hips.

Callee takes the hint, so she leans down on him, propping herself up on her elbows. They kiss again—hard and needy—as they grind their hips in sync with each other, creating delicious friction that sends tingles up her spine.

His hands slips under her nightie, moving up to her breasts, kneading and pinching in all the right places. It is all too much for her, and fortunately, Richard seems to be losing himself, too. He is verbal, moaning and telling her how good it feels, and Callee revels in the thought that she has turned him incoherent with pleasure.

They pick up their speed, nipping and sucking each other's tongue, feeling like the world has burst into flames. Soon, Callee feels a hot shooting sensation down her hips as she arches her back and lets the wave of ecstasy take over her. Richard pulls her down again for a searing kiss as his other hand grabs her ass to keep her moving on top of him. He comes moments later, when Callee's mind has cleared up a bit. She watches the way his eyelids flutter, his beautiful mouth gaping with a silent moan. A lazy smile blooms on her face from this sight, amazed but spent to her bones.

Callee drops to her side again, curling up to Richard as his chest heaves up and down for air. It feels like the world has opened up, and she has fallen inside. She may have taken longer to realise her feelings for Richard, but what matters is that she is done pretending and denying how much he means to her. They still have a long way to go—that's for sure—and it may seem like they're playing it fast and loose, but she trusts him. Trusts him with her secrets, her troubles, and from now on, her heart.

After cleaning up and changing into fresh clothes again, they settle back to sleep, but it doesn't come easily. They talk about nothing in particular between more kissing, curled up together like they always do during their sleepovers. As their conversation fades into silence, Richard's fingers graze over her back, and Callee brushes her nose against his shoulder. She doesn't want to sleep yet, not before him, but with a wide yawn, she feels her eyelids give her up to dreams of intense blue eyes looking up at her.

As the sun starts to rise, Callee feels Richard stirring beside her. He has a class at 8, so he usually gets up early to go for a run before the day starts. However, instead of doing exactly that, she sees him typing away on his phone with a small grin playing on his face. The glow from the screen makes her turn to her other side, thereby alerting Richard about her nearly conscious state. Seconds later, an arm slides around her middle, pulling her until she feels his chest pressing to her back. She twists to face him again, and Richard buries his face to her neck, kissing and sucking on her skin gently. It feels like a dream, so she closes her eyes and lets the heady sensation spin her back to sleep.

When she wakes up some time later, Richard has already gone out for his class. He left a note on his pillow, and his message awakens the butterflies in her belly.

 

**Good morning, love.** **Wish I could shrink you and carry you around all day in my pocket.**

**-R xx**

 

Reading the note over and over again, Callee realizes that she hasn't said it back to him. Tonight, she promises to herself. She would say 'I love you' and then show him how much, hopefully without their clothes on this time.

Washing her face in the bathroom, she notices a small love bite—darkening around the edges—on the side of her neck. Nothing that some concealer won't hide, she thinks with a helpless grin. As she takes her first cup of coffee for the day, she goes over her Twitter feed while coming up with something to commemorate last night's events. She doesn't have to scroll far down to learn that Richard has already beaten her to it.

 

 **Brain On Fire** @BrainOnFire

 **#WOTD Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan) A deep, silent look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start**  
6:14 AM · 17 Mar 14

 

To illustrate his post, Richard has attached the last shot they'd taken back in the photo booth, with their gazes locked and bodies leaned in so close to one another that they are almost kissing. Staring at the post for a full minute, she can't help but wonder how his beautiful mind conjures such perfect snippets of his world. No, scratch that— _their world_.

There is so much happiness bubbling inside her, so even though she is not as well-read and eloquent as he is, she posts one of her own, not minding one bit about what others might think of how quickly she has moved on from one relationship to another. People could judge her all they want, but as long as she is happy with herself and Richard is on her side, nothing could ever faze her again.

 

 **Callee Pace** @calpernia

 **Had the best #EverythingYouDoIsRightDay! Thanks for last night @EvangelineLilly @BrainOnFire. I think we're keeping the Love Hut ;)**  
8:47 AM · 17 Mar 14

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are welcome and appreciated. :)


End file.
